Garage Door Yearly Service

In this article you will find some interesting insight on maintenance on garage doors, openers, and gates. Most people overlook the fact that garage doors (gates & openers) should be serviced and maintained on a yearly basis by a professional technician.

The upside of this is the tech will run a 24 point inspection including, lubrication, checking for damaged parts, loose parts, check all safety equipment for proper use, and balance of door. Unfortunately most "service techs" in the industry will come by your home, lubricate all points and expect payment. This is not a true service of the garage door. The opener should reverse when the safety sensors are tripped and also if the door hits something not blocking the safety beams. If this is not the case, the opener should be red tagged and posted on the opener with the owner notified. The cost for the above service ranges from $65 - $100 per door depending on type of door. Custom wood sectional doors tend to have more parts, thus cost will be closer to $100.

In California there are 3 basic types of garage doors.

The most prevalent is a sectional (steel, aluminum, vinyl) garage door.

The second most common is a One Piece door. This type has 2 large black hinges on either side of the opening with large extension springs. You know the type, you have to stay back about 4 feet so when it opens it doesn't hit you.

The third, also more expensive to maintain, is the Custom Wood Sectional garage door. These are more common on higher end homes. These doors contain around 1000 parts for a double car door.

Most people only call a garage door company only when a garage door is not working at all. Most of the time major repairs can be avoided by having regular yearly maintenance. This can be the difference from a $65 service call and a $650 new door replacement. Just like a car needs regular maintenance, so does a garage door and opener. Think of this the next time you hear a squeak, or weird noise when you open your garage door. Newer doors and openers are extremely quiet when operating.

I hope this helps give you some information on what it takes to keep your garage door, opener, and gate in proper working condition.

About The Author

pro-Bids service provider Jamie Orta, "doorMD" contributed this article. Please visit them on pro-Bids.com